Why do we say the Tough Mudder is “probably” the toughest event on the planet? Because we can think of one task that feels harder to tackle: wading through the muddy, jargon-filled waters of benefits enrollment. Plenty of us would rather take on Artic Enema or Electroshock Therapy than dive into the difference between deductibles and coinsurance—that’s why we did the dirty work for you.

Behold, your Tough Mudder Benefits Enrollment Decoder:

The Race (for Coverage) Starts Now

Your team (and a whole host of strangers) will always provide you coverage while you scale Everest 2.0—but in the insurance world, you can only update your coverage during your open enrollment, when you can apply for new medical benefits or update those awesome benefits you already have. So don’t wait, jump in now!

Qualifying Events Let You Level Up

In Mudder life, the Toughest Mudder is a kind of qualifying event that puts you into the Contender Category at World's Toughest Mudder. In insurance speak, a qualifying event—like getting married to a Mudder teammate or welcoming a mini Mudder of your own into the family—allows you to make some changes to your plan outside of the open enrollment window.

What’s in a Group Number

Your race number helps you identify yourself in post-event photos when everyone is equally covered in mud, and a group number is the unique insurance code assigned to your employer. You can probably find this number printed on your insurance card if you have applied for benefits through work (though you might not want to wear it on your shirt).

Give a Little, Get a Lot with Coinsurance

In a race, you know that doing your part to tackle obstacles allows the whole team to succeed. In insurance lingo, think of your part as coinsurance—the percentage of your medical bill that you pay, while your insurance company covers the rest (after you have paid your deductible). For example, if your coinsurance is 20 percent, you would pay $200 of a $1,000 hospital bill, and your insurance company would cover the rest. If you have Aflac, the cash they pay you directly can be used to help pay your deductible, your portion of coinsurance, or any other expenses when you have a covered sickness or injury—to ensure you can keep finding new obstacles to summit.

Portable Isn’t Just for Potties

We all know portable potties are a must-have on the course, but in the insurance world, portability means you are able to take your policy with you wherever you go. Portable insurance lets you keep your insurance, even after you leave your employer. Individual Aflac policies are as portable as a fanny pack filled with your race-day essentials.

The Voluntary Benefits Are Endless

There are limitless benefits to participating in a Tough Mudder—finding your strength, earning a new headband, making lifelong friends, getting a cool scar to show off—and your insurance benefits should not have limits on how you spend them, either. Voluntary benefits are types of insurance policies that pay you cash to help cover expenses which may not be covered by major medical insurance, and YOU get to decide how you spend that cash, whether it is on deductibles, rent, quad shot lattes or a destination mudder.

Picking the Right Teammates

A successful race relies on building and trusting a team, because nobody gets through a Tough Mudder (or life) alone. Think of insurance as one of your life’s MVT—Most Valuable Teammates—there to pull you up on Pyramid Scheme and push you forward when you are face first in Kiss of Mud 2.0. This benefits enrollment season, look into Aflac's voluntary insurance coverage. It will be there for you from start to finish and help pay for more than just doctors’ bills—you can use it for anything you want when you are stuck at home due to an injury or illness. Who knows? That Aflac Duck might just be your new MVT.

Life is full of adventures, so get out there and live it—confident that your benefits have got your back (and quads and ankles and knees and rope burns, et cetera).

Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York. WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999.